The cultivation of bodhicitta can likewise be divided into practice on the cushion and practice off the cushion. Practice on the cushion begins with the deliberate cultivation of bodhicitta: repeatedly contemplating the teachings in the scriptures, reflecting on them again and again, and even being moved to tears for the sake of bodhicitta. By engaging in this practice day after day, what initially begins as deliberate cultivation gradually becomes genuine.
Naturally, as your practice matures, the tears will eventually cease; profound, sustained conditioning transforms that initial emotion into an unwavering resolve. There is no longer any need for deliberate reflection—every action begins to spring directly from this source, rendering Bodhicitta the foundational orientation and underlying motivation for all that you do. This conviction becomes utterly steadfast—unyielding even should the end of the world arrive—while all samsaric suffering crumbles into insignificance before its power.
Practice off the cushion is primarily a matter of putting the teachings into action, and for most of us, this is the most difficult part. While practicing on the cushion, the mind is concentrated; tears flow readily and can be wiped away just as easily.
Off the cushion, however, this ease vanishes as diverse real-world situations arise. At times, seeing a disagreeable person, we completely forget Bodhicitta and react with anger before anything else. At other times, rather than generating Bodhicitta ourselves, we constantly demand it from others. Therefore, in the midst of daily conduct, you must repeatedly observe your own mind and gradually correct yourself. Cultivating bodhicitta is always a transformational journey from rigidity and selfishness to softness and spaciousness.
Relying on these two approaches, commit yourself to steady, daily practice. You can write down core instructions on Bodhicitta and post them anywhere around your home, looking at them daily to remind yourself at every moment: 'For the benefit of all beings, may I attain Buddhahood.' Gradually, Bodhicitta will ripen. The mind works in precisely this way: whatever you repeatedly train it to become, that is what it will eventually become.
—Excerpted and compiled from Genuine Bodhicitta and Conceptual Bodhicitta.
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
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